Method and apparatus for drilling well holes



w w slMMoNDs ETAL 2,838,283

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELL HOLES INV'ENTOR. Warne M 54mmondsand Ar 1e J. Szmmonda. BY

Mme/mm.

Filed Jan. 14, 1957 l 1| 7 I. E v

x l. n v m =:n Ea z .12.. fl T a June 10, 1958 United States PatentMETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELL HOLES Wayne W. Simmonds, Tulsa,Okla, and Arlie J. Simmonds, Glendale, Calif., assignors to John H.Lucas,

, Kansas City, Mo.; trustee for Wayne W. Simmonds and Arlie J. SimmondsApplication January 14, 1957, Serial No. 633,895

2 Claims. (Cl. 255-28) This invention relates to the drilling of wellholes such as oil, gas and like wells, and more particularly to animproved method and apparatus for drilling such wells with apredetermined weight and controlled variation thereof on the drill bitdrilling the formation.

In conventional rotary drilling of well holes, the drill bit on thelower end of a string of drill pipe is lowered into the hole until thebit rests on the formation being drilled, and then the drill pipe andbit are rotated by a rotary table in the drilling equipment at thesurface thereabove. While the drilling is at shallow depth, it is commonpractice to add tubing called drill collars to add weight to the bit,and at greater depths the string of drill pipe becomes so heavy it isnecessary to support part of the weight thereon on the cable and pulleyblocks and cable drum or draw works in the drilling rig. Weightindicators show the weight supported by the rig and the driller reels inor pays out cable to maintain the desired Weight at the bit on theformation being drilled. As the drill is rotated, suitable drilling mudor fluid is pumped down a passage in the drill pipe and throughapertures in the bit, the mud flowing up through the drilled hole andcarrying the cuttings therewith. With such drilling, if the hole leadsto an underground cavity, the bit may drop therein as the suddenshifting of the entire weight of the bit and drill pipe supported on theformation on to the cable will cause stretching of the cable, droppingthe bit enough to sometime result in seizure of the bit and possiblebreakage and loss of part of the drill string.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a novelmethod and apparatus of drilling well holes wherein normally apredetermined fixed weight of drill collars and a drive tube is theweight applied to the drill bit during drilling operations, with theremainder of the weight of the drill pipe and drive shaft supported bythe drilling rig; to provide such a method and apparatus with a floatingtelescopic drive connection in the well hole between the predeterminedweight producing portions and the remainder of the drill pipe; toprovide such an apparatus with a liquid chamber wherein liquid underpressure tends to hold the parts against relative telescoping movementwith an orifice communicating said chamber with a flow passage formingarestricted escape of liquid from the chamber in response to extensionforce on the members as when the bit breaks through a formation into acavity or the like; to provide such an apparatus wherein the driveconnection is movable to apply additional or less weight to the drillbit; to provide a method of drilling well holes wherein only rotativeforce is applied between the driving and driven members of the drillstring; and to provide a method and apparatus for drilling well holeswhich overcomes disadvantages of existing methods and that is economicalto manufature and efiicient in operation.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, wehave provided improved details of 2,838,283 Pittented June 10, 1958 ICCstructure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of drilling apparatus with a telescopingdrill driving connection embodying the features of the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the telescopingfloating drive and drill collars thereon.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the drive connection onthe line 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the driv connection on theline 4-4, Fig. 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a portable drilling rig of conventional structure whichincludes a vehicle 2 having a derrick 3 thereon with a crown block 4 andtraveling block 5 having cable 6 reeved thereon and adapted to be reeledin or paid out from a cable drum or draw works 7. Supported on thetraveling block 5 is a swivel head 8 connected to a kelly rod 9 thatextends through a rotary table 10 with the lower end of said kelly rodsuitably connected to a plurality of lengths or sections of drill pipe11. A pump 12 has its discharge connected by a conduit 13 to the swivelhead 8 for pumping drilling fluid or mud downwardly through a flowpassage 14 in the string of drill pipe sections 11. The drilling rig anddrill pipe are illustrative of drilling equipment used in conventionalpractice and the structure per se of that portion of the equipment formsno part of the present invention.

A telescoping drive coupling 15 is suitably connected to the lower endof the string of drill pipe 11. In the illustrated structure, a driveshaft 16 has a box end 17 screwed on to a threaded lower end 18 of thelowermost section of drill pipe 11 with an axial bore 19 in the driveshaft in communication with the flow passage 14 in the drill pipe. Thelower end of the drive shaft is suitably fixed to a piston or guidemember 20. In the illustrated structure the lower end of the drive shafthas a threaded pin 21 screwed into a threaded socket 22 in the upper endof the piston 20. The piston 20 is cylin drical and of larger diameterthan the drive shaft with the periphery of said piston slidably engagingthe inner surface of an elongate tubular member or drive tube. 23. Adrive collar 24 has a sleeve portion 25 extending into the upper end ofthe drive tube 23 and is secured thereto as by threads 26 with ashoulder 27 on the drive collar engaging the upper end of said drivetube. The drive collar 24 and sleeve 25 have a bore 28 slidablyreceiving the drive shaft 16. The drive shaft 16 and bore 28 are ofcorresponding shape keying one to the other for rotative movementthroughout the length of their relative longitudinal movement. In theillustrated structure, the periphery of the drive shaft 16 and the bore28 are octagon in shape; however, they may be of any polygonal shape orsuitably splined for relative telescoping movement which maintainsrotative driving engagement at all times. The upper end of the drivecollar 24 is provided with a counterbore 29 with suitable packing 30therein which is compressed by packing nuts 31 threaded into the upperend of the counterbore whereby the packing forms a seal between theperiphery of the drive shaft and the drive collar. The lower end of videa string thereof below the drive tube wherein the weight of the drivecollars 37 will provide the desired 3 weight that will be applied to-adrill bit 38 during drilling operations. The drill bit 38 may be of anyconventional structure and is secured in the usual manner at the lowerend of the string of drive collars with the fiuid passage 39 insaiddrill bit in communication with an axial bore 40 in the drillcollars. The'plug 32 has an axial bore 41 and the piston 20 has an axialbore 42 whereby there is a liquid passage for flow of drill mud from thedrill pipe to the drill bit.

The drive tube 23 preferably is of a length substantially the same asthe desired length of sections of drill pipe, and the piston 20cooperates with the lower end of the sleeve 25 on the drive collar todefine a liquid containing chamber 43 which has communication through ableed hole or orifice 44 with the bore 42 in the piston, the bleed holeor orifice being of relatively small size to restrict flow of liquidfrom the chamber 43 as later described.

The lower end of the piston has a head 45 suitably secured thereon byfastening devices 46 such as screws, said head having a groove 47 inwhich a suitable seal ring 48 is located to slidably engage the interiorof the drive tube to form a seal between the piston and said tube.

In performing drilling operations with the apparatus constructed asdescribed, the drill bit is connected to the lower end of a plurality ofdrill collars 37 to provide a total weight desired on the bit during thedrilling of the formation. The telescoping drive structure is thenconnected to the uppermost drill collar 37 and the upper end of thedrive shaft 16 is connected to the lower end of a string of drill pipesections 11 of suitable length to extend to the bottom of the hole, andthe upper end of the uppermost section of the drill pipe is connected tothe lower end of the kelly rod 9. Each of these connections of theequipment is made a section at a time and lowered through the turntable10 by operation of the draw works 7 as in conventional practice. Theswivel head 8 is then connected to the upper end of the kelly rod andsaid swivel head connected by the conduit 13 to the discharge of the mudpump 12. The brake on the draw works 7 is then released sufiiciently forthe drill pipe and drive member to be lowered until the drill bitengages the formation to be drilled. During the lowering operation, theupper end of the piston will engage the lower end of the sleeve on thedrive collar. After the drill bit engages the formation, furtherlowering of the drill pipe will elfect disengagement of the piston fromthe sleeve 25 and that change in weight supported by the cable 6 will beapparent to the driller from the usual instruments in the drilling rig.The lowering of the drill pipe is continued until the piston headengages the upper end of the plug 32, and then the draw works isreversed to pick up the drill pipe until the head 45 is slightly raisedabove the upper end of the plug 32. The pump is then operated to supplydrilling mud or liquid under pressure for flow through the axialpassages to the drill bit, and the rotary table 10 is engaged with thekelly rod 9 to rotate the kelly rod, drill pipe and through thetelescoping drive and drill collars rotate the drill bit. The fluidunder pressure passing through the axial bore 42 will also move throughthe bleed passage or orifice 44 and fill the chamber 43. As drillingcontinues, the only weight on the bit is that provided by the drive tube23 and drill collars 37, and as drilling proceeds the draw works 7 isheld stationary and the drill bit proceeds downwardly in the hole asdrilled, extending the telescoping drive members 15 until the upper endof the piston 20 engages the lower end of the sleeve 25. Thenadditionaldrill pipe is added to the upper end of the string and theprocedure repeated to continue the drilling of the well. If the drillbit should enter a cavity or the like, the liquid pressure in thechamber 43 tends to prevent the bit from dropping and said bit willproceed downwardly extending the telescoping drive 15 only as the liquidin the chamber 43 is forced through the bleed passage or orifice'44,thereby preventing sudden drops and seizure of the bit.

If the formation is such that for a short period of time additionalweight is desired on the drill bit, the drill pipe may be lowered untilthe head 45 engages the upper end of the plug 32 and a desiredproportion of the weight of the drill pipe added to the weight of thedrill collars acting on the bit. If for a short period of time, a lesserweight than the drill collars is desired to act on the bit, the drawworks is operated to raise the drill pipe and the drive shaft l6 untilthe piston 20 engages the lower end of the sleeve and then a portion ofthe drill collar weight supported by the cables 6. This addition orlessening of the weight acting on the bit is for unusual circumstancesas under normal drilling operations all of the weight acting on the bitwill be supplied by the drill collars 37, and collars added or removedfor changing such weight.

It is to be understood that while we have illustrated and described oneform of our invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form orarrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as suchlimitations are included in the claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In apparatus for drilling of well holes having apparatus at thesurface operable for raising, lowering and supporting a string of drillpipe and rotating same in a well hole and a supply of drilling fluidunder pressure connected to the upper end of the string of drill pipefor flow therethrough, a drill bit, a plurality of drill collarsconnected to and extending upwardly from the drill bit for applyingweight thereto; a telescoping drive coupling comprising, an elongatetubular member having a cylindrical bore extending longitudinallytherein, means connecting the lower end of the tubular member to theupper end of the uppermost drill collar and in fiow communicationtherewith, a drive collar secured to the upper end of the tubular memberand having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, said drive collarhaving a sleeve portion extending downwardly in the upper portion ofsaid tubular member and closely engaging the walls of said cylindricalbore, a hollow drive shaft extending through the drive collar and sleeveportion and into the tubular member and movable longitudinally thereofin telescoping relation to the tubular member, intercn'gaging means onthe drive shaft and drive collar keying same together whereby said driveshaft slidably engages said drive collar and is rotatable therewith,means sealingly engaging the drive shaft and drive collar to provide afluid tight seal therebetween, a piston on the lower end of the driveshaft below the bottom of said sleeve portion slidably engaging theinterior of the tubular memher in fluid tight relation and cooperatingwith the slceve portion of said drive collar to define a chambertherebetween, and a bleed passage communicating the interior of thehollow drive shaft and the chamber for filling said chamber from flow inthe drill pipe when the telescoping drive coupling is contracted and forrestricting flow of fluid from the chamber in response to unsupportedweight of the drill bit and drill collars acting on the tubular memberto extend the telescoping drive shaft and tubular member wherebyextension of the telescoping drive coupling is retarded and suddendropping of the drill bit into a cavity is prevented.

2. A rotary well drilling system comprising, a tubular drill stringadapted to be rotated in a bore hole and having an upper portion and alower predetermined weight producing portion having a drill bit on thelower end thereof, a drive coupling comprising, a cylinder member and atubular plunger member extending therein from one end thereof andmounted for limited reciprocation in said cylinder member, an enlargedpiston on the end of' the plunger in the cylinder member and slidable inthe cylinder member, means at said one end of the cylinder membersealingly engaging the plunger member, means arranged in engagement witheach other on the inner periphery of the cylinder member and the outerperiphery of the plunger member to prevent relative rotation of saidmembers, said plunger and cylinder members defining a chamber betweenthe piston and said one end of the cylinder member, one of said membersbeing connected to the lower end of the upper portion of the drillstring thereabove and the other member being connected to the upper endof the lower portion of the drill string, an orifice means through thewall of one of said members and located at a level to permit restrictedfluid flow from the drill string to and from said chamber at allpositions of the tubular plunger member from substantially fullycontracted to substantially fully extended position from ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,513,955Barnhart et a1. Nov. 4, 1924 1,686,945 Abercrombie Oct. 9, 19281,860,675 Kammerdiner May 31, 1932 2,776,817 Gregory et a1 Jan. 8, 1957

